Senior drinks sector appointments by Harrison

BIRMINGHAM-based leisure hospitality designer Harrison has marked the launch of its specialist brand strategy and development division with two senior appointments from the hospitality sector.
 
Ex-Mitchells & Butlers director of marketing Ian Dunstall and former Diageo and Allied Domecq sales and marketing specialist Steve Abbott will be working alongside Harrison’s existing design teams to offer clients strategic advice on new brand research and development and the refreshing of existing brands.
 
The service will mesh with the consultancy’s established architectural and leisure hospitality design portfolio, enhancing Harrison’s strategic input into client brand design, differentiation and growth.
 
Managing director and founder Philip Harrison said the arrival of Dunstall and Abbott showed just how serious the consultancy was about providing additional brand strategy services to clients.
 
He said:  “We are not paying lip service to the strategic side of brand design, this is a serious investment in talent.  Ian and Steve have both worked in the leisure hospitality sector for over 25 years, covering the development and marketing of brands such as Toby Carvery, Miller & Carter and Pizza Hut.  Their experience is both extensive and international, covering over 30 markets on six continents.
 
“This level of strategic and operational brand knowledge is not something that you encounter day-to-day, and we are extremely pleased – and very fortunate – to be able to combine our very relevant and focused skills and knowledge and pass them onto our clients.”
 
The appointments come on the back of the consultancy’s successful brand revitalisation programmes for high profile High Street names such as Pizza Hut, Bella Italia and T.G.I. Friday’s, with the latter extending to a revamp of the brand’s presence in its United States home country.
 

Arqadia hangs its future success on Big ideas

ARQADIA has appointed Big Communications as its retained PR and social media agency following a three-way pitch.
 
Big’s PR and social team will be implementing a proactive media relations and communications plan, as well as managing the company’s social media channels in order to help it maintain its leading position as a supplier of picture frames and mouldings.
 
Pauline Hutchinson, marketing manager at Arqadia, said: “We were impressed with the team at Big who presented a well thought out plan, backed up with thorough research and insights.”

The account will be run by PR partner Bron Eames, who said: “This is a very exciting brief and we look forward to implementing a plan that ensures the profile of Arqadia is kept consistent among the media and customers alike.”

Digital fabricator KWSP opts for Prova solution

SPECIALIST transport and technology PR agency, Prova, has won the public relations account for digital fabrication and additive manufacturing specialists, KW Special Projects (KWSP).

Warwickshire-based Prova will work alongside KWSP to cement the company’s position at the forefront of digital fabrication and additive manufacturing, a rapidly growing and game-changing sector within UK engineering.

Formed in 2012 as a spin-out from KW Motorsport (KWM), KWSP is harnessing its background in high precision motorsport engineering to bring expertise to a number of other market sectors, including transport, healthcare, defence and aerospace.  

Kieron Salter, managing director at KWSP, said: “By partnering with Prova, an agency with such strong credentials in our key sectors, we expect to further develop our business and build upon our strong reputation in our key areas for growth.”  

St John White, director at Prova, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside KWSP, an ambitious new company that’s applying the pioneering processes associated with motorsport engineering to a wide range of other sectors.  KWSP is leading the way in high performance engineering and we’re looking forward to helping the business grow to its full potential.”